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Mice
Mice are introduced in The Tailor of Gloucester. Bio The Mice are kind, helpful, and they like to sing. They live in buildings in Gloucester including the Shop in Westgate Street and the Tailor's kitchen in the house in House in College Court. Appearances The Tailor of Gloucester Spme little brown Mice live in the Shop in Westgate Street at night. They go in and out and run from house to house and all over the town without going into the streets because there are little mouse staircases and secret trapdoors behind the walls of all the old houses in Gloucester. After leaving the Shop, the Tailor walks through the snow to the kitchen he rents in a house in House in College Court, where he lives with his cat, Simpkin. Later that night, the Tailor sends Simpkin out to buy several items including cherry-colored silk, with the last of their money. Simpkin takes the groat and the pipkin and goes out to buy the items. The Tailor sits down by the fireplace and talks to himself about the coat, saying that he has just enough taffeta for the coat and will not have any leftover snippets for tippets (scarf-like clothing) for Mice. Suddenly, he hears a number of little sounds coming from the dresser, which is filled with teacups, mugs, pots, and bowls. The tailor walks across the kitchen and stands still beside the dresser and he hears the little sounds again and decides to pick up an upside-down teacup. Suddenly, out steps a little lady mouse who curtseys to the Tailor, hops off the dresser, and under the wall. The Tailor goes back to the fireplace and sits back down to warm his cold hands. But, all at once, he hears other little noises coming from the dresser. The Tailor turns over another teacup and out steps a little gentleman mouse who bows to the tailor. All of a sudden, a chorus of little tappings come from all over the dresser, all sounding together and answering one another. Out from under other teacups and bowls step out more little Mice who also hop off the dresser and into the wall. The Tailor sits back down by the fireplace and wonders if he was wrong in letting all the little Mice loose because they probably belong to Simpkin. He mutters to himself about the coat, saying it must be finished by noon on Saturday. The little Mice come back out and listen to the Tailor and they notice the pattern of the wonderful coat. They whisper to one another about the taffeta lining and about little mouse tippets and then, all at once, run away together down the passage behind the wall. Then, Simpkin opens the door and bounces in, frustrated because he hates snow and he has snow in his ears and collar. He sets down the loaf, the sausages, and the pipkin filled with milk on the dresser while he looks suspiciously at the teacups; he had been looking forward to a supper of little fat mouse. The Tailor asks Simpkin where his twist is but Simpkin is upset with the Tailor for letting the mice go, so he hides a little parcel privately in the teapot. The poor, old Tailor becomes very ill with a fever and is still ill the next day and the next day and the next and is unable to go to the little Shop in Westgate Street to work on the coat. Late at night on Christmas Eve, Simpkin makes his way to the Shop in Westgate Street and takes a look in the window. He sees that it's full of mice cutting fabric and sewing with thread as they sing loudly and happily. The little Mice laugh and sing another song and then, all of a sudden, the little Mice begin to shout at Simpkin about how the Tailor has no more twist and they bar up the windows to shut out the cat. The next morning, the Tailor is no longer ill and he and Simpkin go to the Shop in Westgate Street. Simpkin bounces in the door, expecting to see the little Mice, but no one is there. The little Mice have left behind a beautiful coat, more beautiful than any coat that the Mayor has ever worn. The coat is finished except for a single button hole. In place of the button hole, the Tailor finds a note left by the Mice, with tiny writing that says there is no more twist. After that day, the Tailor's luck changes and he becomes quite rich. He starts making the most wonderful waistcoats for all the rich merchants of Gloucester and for all the fine gentlemen in the entire country. He makes beautiful ruffles, embroidered cuffs, and lappets! But his button holes are the greatest triumph of all. The stitches of those button holes are so neat and small that people wonder how they could be stitched by an old man in glasses, with crooked old fingers, and a tailor's thimble. The stitches of those button holes are so small that they look as if they are made by little Mice. Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Female Characters